Babywearing 101: It’s a Wrap!
Okay, so we’ve talked about the Benefits of Babywearing. We’ve noted some General Guidelines for Babywearing. We’ve also so far discussed two types of native-style baby carriers, the pouch and the ring sling.
Next up? The wrap!
Remember that we’re evaluating each carrier based on its own pros and cons. Each carrier has its own style for wearing your baby, each carrier looks very different, and each carrier may feel very different on your body and to your baby.
All the possible styles of carry are this: cradle front, vertical front facing in (baby’s legs are frogged up as a small infant and spread to fit around your waist as an older child), kangaroo front (a vertical carry facing out, in which baby sits in the carrier and tucks her legs in front of her), hip on either side, piggyback. These mimic ways in which you might carry a baby in your arms, and thus tend to be pretty comfortable and ergonomically correct.
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The wrap is simply a VERY long piece of fabric, at least three yards, usually around four yards, and sometimes longer. By wrapping the fabric around your body and tying the ends, you can, in theory, strap your baby to you any way you can think of. In practice, however, there are several traditional methods that are used most often.
Because the methods are a bit complicated, you’ll likely want to see diagrams or demonstrations of each of the methods of wrapping before you try them out. Really good instructions can be found at the web sites of the companies that sell baby wraps, and you are, of course, welcome to use these instructions whether or not you buy their wrap or a different one or make your own:
The most typical carries associated with a wrap (although, remember, you can wear your baby in a wrap in any way you can strap her to you) are the cradle front, vertical front facing in or out (unlike most other native-style carries, it’s easy to carry baby in a vertical front facing out with dangling legs in a wrap. Remember that it’s not great for baby to be supported by her crotch with her legs dangling free from her hip joints, and don’t choose this carry often or for long periods of time), and piggyback. This is also the easiest carrier to use when carrying two children, whether they’re the same age or not.
There are several advantages to the wrap. Because it is the most formless of the carriers, it is easily the most versatile. Not only is it open to an infinite variety of positions, but it’s also possible to adjust your style of carry to accomodate special physical needs, such as injured shoulders that can’t bear weight or mastectomy scars that are sensitive to pressure. The wrap also tends to be very comfortable and ergonomically correct, because it distributes baby’s weight over such a wide area of the carrier’s body.
The disadvantages to the wrap generally come from these same factors. The wrap takes time to master, of course. The wrap may also be uncomfortable in hot climates, because it has just so much fabric. Using the wrap also requires the ability to tie knots, which may be difficult or impossible for people with dexterity problems.
Next up? Asian-style carriers.
i am a s my wife and i also wore my son. he is now 4. it was wonderful.
great Zelda shirt by the way.
I think it needs to be pointed out that the photo with this post is a ring sling, not a wrap. At most, it’s a slingified wrap (a wrap that has been converted to a ring sling).
As such, it’s not showing off one of the biggest “pros” of the wrap… that of the comfy two-shouldered carries. Pouches and ring slings are simple, less versatile, one-shouldered. Wraps are more complicated, most versatile, and can be one or two-shouldered depending on the carry used.
You’re covering mei tais (ie, Asian-style carriers) next, which are also two-shouldered, while also simple, but less versatile.
For some photos of wraps in use, you can check my “babywearing” photostream at flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lovecat/sets/72157600411356215/
There are wrap pics (one and two-shouldered carries, front and back and hip), as well as pouch, ring, and mei tai.
Also, I think any article about wraps should also include mention of stretchy vs. woven fabrics. Stretchy wraps (such as Moby) are extremely comfortable, and very forgiving — the stretchiness means you don’t have to be quite as ‘perfect’ with your wrapping to be comfortable. However, they’re not quite as supportive as the firmer woven wraps (such as Didymos) and tend to not be used as much once babies are beyond young infants. Woven wraps will still be comfortable and supportive well into the toddler years.
We could also get into the different lengths of wraps… ’shorty’ wraps which are great for quick simple one-shouldered or certain back carries without all the extra fabric required for the cross-carries. But perhaps that’s “Babywearing 201″ heh…
Oops, and let’s not forget the gauze wraps (Bali Baby Breeze), which are a much lighter fabric and so not as hot. No stretch to them so they’re trickier to get ‘just right’. Generally, stretchy wraps are a great choice for beginner wrappers, but once you get the hang of it, gauze and woven wraps start to become more appealing.
Yeah, my photos illustrate babywearing, not necessarily a particular carrier.
Thanks for all the extra info–I can tell the wrap is a favorite of yours!
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